Archive for category: Blog

In our daily grind, our desks often become the epicenter of our work universe—our sanctuary, our command center.

But oh, how quickly chaos can ensue! Papers pile up, pens run amok, and sticky notes multiply like rabbits. Yes, I’m talking about the messy desk.

Let’s start with the bright side, shall we? The benefits of a messy desk, believe it or not, do exist. For starters, a cluttered workspace can spark creativity. Amidst the disarray, hidden gems of inspiration may reveal themselves, triggering innovative ideas and out-of-the-box thinking. It’s like a treasure hunt for your brain!

Furthermore, a messy desk can be a testament to productivity. That towering stack of papers may look daunting, but each document represents progress—a task completed, a project in motion. It’s tangible evidence of your hard work and dedication, a visual reminder of all that you’ve accomplished.

But before you start celebrating the mess, let’s not overlook the drawbacks. A cluttered desk can hinder productivity and efficiency. Digging through piles of papers to find that elusive document? Not exactly a recipe for success. Time wasted searching for misplaced items could be better spent tackling your to-do list.

Moreover, a messy desk can be a breeding ground for stress and anxiety. The constant visual reminder of unfinished tasks and looming deadlines can weigh heavily on your psyche, making it difficult to focus and stay motivated. And let’s not forget about the physical clutter—knocking over stacks of paper or tripping over stray cords is a surefire way to disrupt your workflow and your mood.

So, where does that leave us? Is a messy desk a blessing or a curse? Well, like most things in life, it’s a bit of both. Embracing the chaos can unleash creativity and serve as a badge of productivity, but too much clutter can impede efficiency and contribute to stress.

Ultimately, the key lies in finding balance. Embrace the mess when it sparks creativity or reflects your hard work, but don’t let it spiral out of control. Take time to declutter and organize your workspace, creating a harmonious environment that fosters productivity and peace of mind.

Um… but exactly how do you create a serene oasis of productivity? Fear not, my friend! Here are some tried-and-true tips to keep your desk organized and your sanity intact:

1. Declutter Regularly: Set aside time each week to declutter your desk. Toss out unnecessary papers, file important documents, and clear away any clutter that’s accumulated.
2. Designate Zones: Divide your desk into zones based on function. Have a dedicated space for work essentials like your computer, notebook, and pens, as well as separate areas for incoming and outgoing paperwork.
3. Invest in Storage Solutions: Get creative with storage solutions to maximize space on your desk. Use trays, bins, or drawers to corral loose items like paper clips, sticky notes, and USB drives.
4. Keep It Clean: Make it a habit to wipe down your desk regularly to keep dust and grime at bay. A clean workspace not only looks better but can also boost your mood and productivity
5. Go Vertical: Take advantage of vertical space by adding shelves or hanging organizers above your desk. This frees up valuable desktop real estate and keeps frequently used items within reach.
6. Use Technology Wisely: Embrace digital tools to reduce paper clutter. Scan documents and store them electronically and utilize cloud storage for easy access to files from anywhere.
7. Create a Filing System: If you simply must have paper, establish a filing system for important documents to keep them organized and easily accessible. Label folders or use color-coding to categorize items by topic or project.
8. Tackle One Thing at a Time: Avoid overwhelming yourself by trying to tackle the entire mess at once. Instead, focus on one area or task at a time, whether it’s sorting through papers or tidying up your desktop.
9. Develop Daily Habits: Incorporate simple habits into your daily routine to maintain a tidy desk. Spend a few minutes at the end of each day tidying up and putting things back in their designated spots.
10. Stay Consistent: Consistency is key to maintaining an organized desk. Make a commitment to yourself to stick to your organizational system and resist the urge to let clutter accumulate.

By implementing these tips and tricks, you’ll be well on your way to achieving desk nirvana—a clutter-free zone where productivity thrives and chaos fears to tread. So, go ahead, let your desk reflect your creative genius and your unstoppable work ethic. Messy? Clean? Both work! Just clean it up every now and then…. You’ll thank yourself (eventually!)

You all know I am the ‘No Discount’ Queen of the Lifestyle Management industry. Just say no. No matter what. But, like all human beings, I too am tempted by an easy discount. 

Unfortunately, this discount can lead to a huge waste of time for everyone, but especially for us as small business owners because we have the luxury of self-managing our work day.

In an era where online shopping reigns supreme, it’s no secret that retailers employ various tactics to entice customers to make purchases. One common strategy is offering discounts or special offers in exchange for signing up for email promotions.

While the allure of saving money may be enticing at first glance, the unintended consequence of this practice is the inundation of promotional emails that can quickly overwhelm your inbox.

Let’s explore the journey from the initial temptation of discounts to the eventual takeover of your inbox and I will provide tips for managing email overload without sacrificing savings.

It all begins innocently enough. You’re browsing an online store, adding items to your cart, when a pop-up appears offering a tempting discount if you sign up for their email newsletter. “Why not?” you think to yourself. After all, who doesn’t love saving money? With a few keystrokes, you eagerly enter your email address and complete your purchase, feeling a sense of satisfaction at snagging a deal.

Little do you realize that by agreeing to receive promotional emails, you’ve unwittingly opened the floodgates to a deluge of marketing messages. In the days and weeks that follow, your inbox becomes inundated with a seemingly endless stream of emails—special offers, sales alerts, product recommendations, and more—all vying for your attention and tempting you to make additional purchases.

Before long, your inbox begins to resemble a battlefield, with promotional emails waging war for supremacy. Amidst the chaos, important messages from colleagues, clients, or loved ones are buried beneath a mountain of marketing missives. Your once sacred sanctuary for communication has been infiltrated and overrun by relentless promotions, leaving you feeling overwhelmed and frustrated.

And at this point, I must embarrassingly admit this happened to me. Every few hours, I found myself facing at least 300 emails in my inbox and as many as 500+. It would take several hours to clean through them; mostly because as a self-proclaimed professional online addict er, shopper, the flashy ads promising even more discounts would grab my attention and I’d have to ‘just take a look’. FOMO at its best!

Eventually, I found myself missing vendor quotes and other time sensitive communications. I was wasting a good 4 hours per day and ultimately, it got so bad, I looked at my inbox with dread. It was bad. Seriously bad.

That’s when I realized, it was time to make a drastic change.

So, how can you reclaim control over your inbox without sacrificing the savings that initially lured you into this predicament? Here are three tips to help you navigate the deluge of promotional emails:

1. Unsubscribe Strategically: Take stock of the promotional emails cluttering your inbox and unsubscribe from newsletters that no longer serve your interests or provide value. Be ruthless in cutting ties with brands that bombard you with irrelevant messages.
2. Use Pinterest: For those emails I really want to look at for shopping, I go to the website and ‘save’ that site to Pinterest. That way, I know I can find it again without receiving repeat marketing emails. And it cures FOMO too, because I know those products are saved to a place where I can find them again when I’m ready to shop.
3. Create Filters and Folders: Use email filters and folders to automatically categorize incoming messages from retailers. This allows you to maintain a clutter-free inbox while keeping promotional emails accessible for when you’re in the mood to shop. I do this with Pinterest emails.

If you use Pinterest, you know they send multiple emails per day with ideas for things which you’ve already expressed interest. These emails can become a rabbit hole. I love crafting and cannot resist a Pinterest recommendation for a new craft technique. If I let myself, I can spend hours on just these emails.

So they are automatically diverted into a folder for Pinterest specifically and when I do have time to Pinterest surf, I know right were to go.

Some people recommend setting boundaries and only checking your email at specific times throughout the day. That won’t work for me (and likely not you) as we need to be responsive to the needs of clients and we need to process quotes quickly as well.

The final recommendation popular these days to reduce email is to opt for alternative communication channels such as texting or alerts. To me, these are just as invasive as excessive emails (and I’m not a texter) so this isn’t a viable option for me.

After spending a day posting sites to Pinterest and unsubscribing from all those emails, I now only receive 75-100 emails – mostly internal communications – even if I’m away from my inbox for several hours.

Honestly, it feels like a weight has been lifted. I don’t think we truly realize how much of a time suck or how oppressive it is to have to manage so many emails. I sure didn’t.

While the allure of discounts may be irresistible, the unintended consequence of signing up for email newsletters is the inundation of promotional messages that can quickly overwhelm your inbox and thus you.

By recognizing the signs of email overload and implementing strategies for managing promotional emails effectively, you can strike a balance between saving money and maintaining control over your digital domain. After all, a clutter-free inbox is the ultimate discount for your peace of mind.